Rishi Kapoor’s autobiography, Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored was in news in the second week of January 2016. The book is authored by Rishi Kapoor and Meena Iyer.
● Released on 20 January 2017, the book came in news because it reveals certain facts about Rishi Kapoor’s life, like meeting with Dawood Ibrahim, one of India’s most-wanted men, on two occasions in Dubai.
● For the first time, they met in 1998 when Rishi Kapoor was invited to Dawood’s house in Dubai for tea. Defending his meet with the gangster, the actor says that he met him before 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts took place. At that time, Dawood was not an enemy of the state.
● They, Rishi and Dawood, once again met in 1989, when he was shopping with his wife Neetu Singh in Dubai.
● The book, Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored covers the story of Rishi Kapoor, who is a son of a famous father and father of a famous son. The book says that the actor is a hyphen between his father and son.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received a copy of book ‘Grassroots Innovation’ authored by Prof. Anil K. Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad who is also the Vice Chairman, National Innovation Foundation at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (August 2, 2016).
• The President congratulated Prof. Anil K. Gupta and said that he was deeply appreciative of his efforts and painstaking work about the innate creativity and innovative potential of our people.
• Dr. Gupta’s book was about stories of extraordinary men and women who are silently contributing in the innovation movement for the economic development and advancement of society.
• Government should provide institutional support to the grass root innovators.
• Their efforts will not be appreciated if necessary linkages between the relevant stakeholders are not established.
• The Festival of Innovations which is organized by Rashtrapati Bhavan in collaboration with National Innovation Foundation has helped to bring together creative energy from different domains.
• The President conveyed his best wishes to Dr. Gupta and his dedicated team to continue their march in adding value to the ideas and innovations of communities at grassroots level.
• Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology and Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Chairperson, National Innovation Foundation.

A book titled India Rising: Fresh Hope, New Fears by Ravi Velloor chronicles India's journey in the decade before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise. The book was released in April 2016 by Singapore Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong.
• The book captures the significant events of the years under former India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and examines how the country dealt with those issues.
• Ravi Velloor is an associate editor of Singapore newspaper The Straits Times.
• Highlights of the Book
• It describes key aspects of the country’s development in the last 10 years, expressing fresh hopes but also new fears under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Each chapter cuts a different slice into the complex reality which is India. Like a CT scan, the slices combine to give the reader a composite sense of the unfolding Indian drama.
• Importantly for Asia, it also looks closely at the strategic sweet spot India has found itself in, wooed by every major power.
• It assesses India's potential to become the world's fifth largest economic power by the end of this decade.
• It discusses issues such as the unease that minorities feel under Modi, a leader backed by Hindu nationalist forces.
• The book includes insider accounts of events such as the removal of National Security Adviser MK Narayanan, the resignation of navy chief DK Joshi, how India handled the crisis in Sri Lanka and the Mumbai attack, etc.

Tennis star Sania Mirza has documented her journey to become the World No. 1 in the women’s doubles rankings in an autobiography set for release this July, according to publishers Harper Collins.

• Titled, ‘Ace Against Odds,’ the book has been penned by Mirza with her father Imran Mirza.
• The 29-year-old sportswoman, who shot to fame at the age of 16 after winning the Wimbledon’s Championships Girls’ Doubles title, was ranked as India’s No. 1 player by the Women’s Tennis Association, both in singles and doubles circuits.
• The autobiography chronicles her rise to the top, and is peppered with anecdotes where she talks about the difficulties and hardships as well as the joys and triumphs that came her way.
• Mirza, who announced her retirement from the singles circuit in 2012 underwent a remarkable transformation between August 2015 and March 2016, during which she pocketed 41 consecutive wins with her doubles partner Martina Hingis, and went on to become the World No. 1 in the Women’s Doubles rankings.

A book titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography by Margaret Alva was in news in the second week of July 2016.
• Via this book, Alva narrates her forty-year career under four Prime Ministers, namely Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. It also tells about her transition from politician to Governor.
• In the book, also speaks about her denunciation of the manipulation of seats by her own party; and the events leading to her resignation in 2008 from the post of the AICC General Secretary in charge of eight states.
• At the same time, she also offers rare insights into the lives of national and international political luminaries.
• Margaret Alva is a political leader from the Indian National Congress
• She was the governor Rajasthan and Uttarakhand
• She was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1974, 1980, 1986 and 1992 as a representative of Congress
• During her time in the Rajya Sabha, she was its vice-chairman (1983-85)
• She also served terms as Union Minister of State in the ministries for Parliamentary Affairs, Youth and Sports and Women and Child Development, and more
• In her HRD role, between 1985 and 1989, Alva oversaw the Rajiv Gandhi-led government's 28-point plan intended to improve the rights and involvement of women and children.
• Her 1989 proposal that 33 percent of seats in panchayat raj (local government) elections should be reserved for women became law in 1993
• She was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament in 1999

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released a book titled “The Birds of Banni Grassland” in New Delhi, on 28th June.
• The book was presented to the Prime Minister by the Scientists of Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE).
• The Book is a compilation of the research work, relating to more than 250 species of birds found in the Banni area of Kutch, Gujarat.
• The Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, located at Bhuj, has been studying the plant, bird and marine life in the Rann of Kutch for over 15 years.
• The GUIDE is located at Bhuj.
• For over 15 years it has been studying the plant, bird and marine life in the Rann of Kutch. GUIDE’s research activities are linked in the study of understanding and addressing environmental, ecological and social problems.
• It also seeks promoting sustainable development in arid and semi-arid regions of the state.

A new book The Unseen Indira Gandhi authored by Dr KP Mathur was released in May 2016. Dr KP Mathur was personal physician of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for nearly 20 years till her assassination in 1984.
• The Book was published by Konark Publishers.
• The book provides some interesting peeps into the responses of Mrs Gandhi’s response to challenges both personal and political.
• The preface of the book was written by her granddaughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
• The 151-page book describes that Mrs Gandhi was very tense, a bit confused and not sure of herself in early years of her power in 1966.
• It covers several milestone moments in Indira’s life: the Bangladesh War of 1971; Pokhran Nuclear tests of 1974, imposition of Emergency; death of Sanjay Gandhi and circumstances in Maneka’s walk out of the family.
• The Doctor in his book said that Mrs Gandhi was always more fond of her elder Daughter in Law, Sonia Gandhi, but after Sanjay’s death she became a little more inclined towards Maneka and wanted Maneka to come and help her in politics.
• The book is interspersed with messages and written instructions on paper bits which were collected by the author.
• The book also covers former PM’s relations with foreign counterparts including Margaret Thatcher who was former PM of the United Kingdom.

The South Korean author Han Kang has been named the winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for her novel The Vegetarian, splitting the £50,000 prize with her translator, Deborah Smith.
• The Vegetarian, published by Portobello Books, the UK independent publisher, is Ms Han’s first novel to be translated into English.
• It is the strange story of Yeong-hye, a Korean wife who, seeking a more “plant-like existence”, decides to become vegetarian — a rebellious decision that flouts the traditions of her family and country.
• Ms Smith, 28, started to learn Korean only seven years ago, when she moved to Korea.
• It was Ms Smith who proposed the idea of translating The Vegetarian.
• She also worked on Ms Han’s second novel to be translated into English, Human Acts.
• Ms Smith is also the founder of Tilted Axis Press, a non-profit publishing house that promotes the translation of literature from Africa and Asia.
• Previous prize winners include László Krasznahorkai (2015), Lydia Davis (2013), Philip Roth (2011), Alice Munro (2009), Chinua Achebe (2007) and Ismail Kadare (2005).
• The prize is sponsored by Man Group, who also sponsor the annual Man Booker prize for English language fiction.

The Drowned Detective authored by Neil Jordan depicts genre-defying story about a private investigator
Investigator arrived in a small Eastern European city because he was told about the opportunities opening up in former Soviet countries.
• The book’s first few pages are about a wayward minister who cheats on his wife.
• The minister is tracked by the detective whose name is Jonathan.
• One day, an elderly couple approached Jonathan to investigate the disappearance of their daughter.
• Jonathan feels compelled to find the daughter as the faded photograph of the little girl reminds him of his own daughter.
• Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish film director, screenwriter and novelist.
• He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Crying Game.
• He also won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival for The Butcher Boy.

On 6 May 2016 Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor’s biography titled Shashi Kapoor – the Householder, the Star was released.
• It attempts to delve into the nature and nurture of Shashi Kapoor,
• This book is authored by film journalist Aseem Chhabra.
• He was Born as Balbir Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938
• He has also been a film director and assistant director
• He started acting in films in the late 1940s, appearing in commercial films including Sangram and Dana Paani under the name of Shashiraj.
• His best known performances as child artist were in Aag and Awaara.
• He made became hero in 1961 film Dharmputra.
• In 2011, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan
• In 2015, he was awarded the 2014 Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
• He is the third member of his family to receive the highest award in Indian Cinema
• Earlier Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor has already been honoured by this award.